Restaurant business in Ukraine: revenue growth and industry leaders in 2023

Revenues of catering establishments in Ukraine in 2023 showed significant growth, increasing 2.2 times compared to the previous year and reaching 31.6 billion hryvnias. Compared to the pre-war year 2021, the increase is 26%. Such data were published as a result of a study of the restaurant services segment conducted by YouControl.Market.

The number of active companies in the restaurant business has also increased significantly. In 2023, there were more than 3.5 thousand of them, which is 30% more than in 2022. For comparison, according to the State Statistics Service, only 2.6 thousand establishments operated in 2022. These indicators indicate the recovery and development of the industry even under martial law.

Kyiv remains the absolute leader in revenue among the regions. In 2023, the capital's restaurants earned over 23 billion hryvnias, which is 2.6 times more than the previous year. This is 72% of the total revenue of the restaurant business in Ukraine. There are more than 1.2 thousand establishments in Kyiv, which is about a third of all active companies in the industry.

Other regions also demonstrated revenue growth. For example, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, total revenue amounted to 1.58 billion hryvnias (+31.8%), where more than 200 companies operate. In the Lviv region, this figure was 1.39 billion hryvnias (+64%, more than 400 companies), in the Kharkiv region - 1.15 billion hryvnias (+86%), and in the Kyiv region - 1.02 billion hryvnias (+80.4%).

Among non-border regions, the largest relative increase in revenue in 2023 was recorded in the Rivne region, where revenue increased 2.28 times and reached 266 million hryvnias. Kherson region, although it had more modest indicators, also showed a significant increase - 2.22 times to 26.8 million hryvnias. The growth in this region is explained by the liberation of the right-bank Kherson region at the end of 2022.

In the Donetsk region, where the situation remains critical, only three companies in the industry submitted reports for 2023. Their total income was 0.9 million hryvnias, which is still 6.7 times more than in 2022. These data emphasize the difference in economic opportunities between regions that are under different conditions of military influence.

The results of the study demonstrate not only the growth of income in the restaurant industry, but also the adaptation of business to new realities, including an increase in the number of establishments in less affected regions. This indicates a gradual recovery of the Ukrainian economy even in difficult conditions.